Even before last year's snowmageddon trapped residents in their home for weeks, Mayor Cara Spencer campaigned heavily on improving city services and doing the basics, like plowing the streets. This weekend serves as her administration's first real test.
She emphasizes her top goal is clearing the roads the City has always done, saying they failed in that regard last year.
"What we are promising residents, and we stand very confidently on this, we will be addressing the primary, the secondary and the hill routes."
The city said as of Thursday afternoon they have already dropped thirteen thousand gallons of pretreatment on their streets. When the snow comes they have 90 personnel working 12 hour shifts.
Last year, city officials admitted they pivoted too late when adjusting to the heavy snowfall that trapped City residents. This year, the city is lining up emergency help ahead of time.
"We also have a meeting [Thursday] afternoon with some exterior partners that can bring some additional resources on."
New this year, the City will be plowing residential streets for the first time in history. New, smaller trucks ordered by the Tishaura Jones administration finally arrived after sitting on back order through last winter. Pressed on how residents without driveways can avoid their cars being trapped behind mounds of ice when the city's plows pass, Mayor Spencer says they're still working that out.
"This is a learning opportunity for us, we recognize there are not places outside of your street for most residents to park," says Mayor Cara Spencer, asking for leeway from City residents. "As we go through this and start to enter those residential [areas] we are going to be working through kinks this year."
They are asking residents park in driveways if they have them to avoid their cars being plowed in.
Mayor Spencer was highly critical of the city's response last year under Mayor Jones, especially when the street director at the time admitted she was misled and unaware roadways that were supposed to be plowed were left untouched.
New Streets Director James Jackson says part of how they'll avoid a repeat of this mistake are new quality assurance teams that work out of the neighborhood improvement districts.
"They don't really know snow, so all they know is driving conditions," says Jackson, adding "we're going to have 16 people out that are actually going to be reporting in to us and telling us what the conditions look like to help us identify the areas that we really need to hit."
Also new this year, the City's pilot program making salt available to local residents, neighborhood associations and other groups.
One and a half tons of salt can be picked up at the following Fire Departments:
1. STLFD Engine House 1 @ 2910 Jefferson Ave.
2. STLFD Engine House 6 @ 5747 Manchester Ave.
3. STLFD Engine House 12 @ 5214 W. Florissant Ave.
4. STLFD Engine House 36 @ 5000 S. Kingshighway Blvd.
5. STLFD HQ @ the corner of Jefferson and Cass.